6 Best iPhone Camera Apps You Should Use

The default camera app on the iPhone has come a long way. What with offering features like HDR, autofocus, and even filters, the app is definitely very good. However, every now and then, you require more control over the camera features. In times like these, you can opt for a third camera party app that offers manual controls, RAW support and more features you want. So, here are the 8 best iPhone camera apps that you should have in your photography arsenal:

1. 645 Pro Mk III

If you use DSLR cameras, then this app will make you feel right at home with your iPhone camera. The app comes with a DSLR-like interface, with all the knobs and switches you’re used to. You can use multiple camera modes, such as auto, manual, portrait, etc. The app will also let you manually control the ISO values, and the shutter speed, so you can take photos exactly the way you want.

There are a number of filters, image ratios, and lens effects available that you can use to get the perfect shot, every time. The app also brings a plethora of custom settings that you can adjust to meet your needs. Things like Autofocus, White-balance, and exposure, can all be adjusted, and locked if you want. Also, the viewfinder in the app displays a ton of information about the image you’ll be clicking, including the current ISO value, and shutter speed. You can toggle this information from being displayed, as well.

Overall, the app is definitely a very powerful camera app for the iPhone, and it will help you take some really great photos on your iPhone, if you know your way around a DSLR camera.

2. ProCam 4

If you don’t want the complexity of a DSLR, but still desire complete control over the settings of your iPhone camera, then ProCam 4 is definitely something you should check out. The app will allow you to manually adjust the exposure, shutter speed, ISO value, and the white balance of the image. The focusing system of the app is also very good. If you adjust the focus by tapping of the “AF” button, and adjust using the slider, the app automatically shows a circle showing you how well the image will be in focus. This can definitely help you identify if the image is going to turn out clear or not.

The app also offers the ability to save RAW images, giving you complete flexibility over editing the image, exactly the way you want to. You can also choose to save images in the lossless TIFF format, albeit with the caveat that the file size will be very high, and images might take long to save. The app also lets you shoot time lapse videos, burst images, and even slow shutter images for light trails, and motion blurs. So, no matter if you’re taking a light trail, or a picture of a waterfall, they will turn out great.

3. PureShot

PureShot is another app developed by the developer of 645 Pro Mk III. The app offers a similar DSLR interface. It comes with various settings, such as auto mode, manual mode, selfie mode, and more. You can use the Auto mode if you don’t want to fiddle around with the settings that the app offers. However, manual mode is where you can actually harness the power of the app.

Unlike its more powerful counterpart, the 645 Pro Mk III, PureShot is meant solely for no-filter photography on the iPhone. It does not offer any of the multiple filters, and lenses that 645 Pro Mk III does, but it offers a similar, powerful DSLR interface that will allow you tweak almost every setting for your iPhone camera. The PureShot viewfinder displays a ton of information about the picture you’re about to click, including the ISO value, exposure, as well as shutter speed. All these settings are manually controllable, so you can adjust them to your liking. The slow to fast shutter speeds offer limitless possibilities for the types of pictures you can take with the app.

4. Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom, for the most part, is a picture editor. However, the built-in camera has some good features. With RAW support having arrived on iPhones, Lightroom can now let you click pictures in RAW format. This means that you have full control over the ISO, exposure, and other settings even after the picture has been taken. So, you get a lot of editing power later on.

The app has a plethora of powerful editing features, to make the most out of the RAW images you take with it. The app allows for local adjustments, which means that you can change the exposure, brightness, and clarity for select regions in the image. Also, the app supports non-destructive editing, so you can play around with your image as much as you want, and easily revert back to the original, if you mess something up.

5. Camera+

If you want a simple looking camera app with some advanced features, you can check out Camera+. The app offers some great features for advanced shooting. One of my favorite features in the app, is the ability to use different parts of the image for focusing, and setting the exposure. This allows you to focus exactly where you want to, while still getting the exposure from a different part of the image. The app doesn’t have advanced features like setting the ISO value, and manual exposure for the image, but is really great for taking great pictures with ease.

The app also offers a stabilizer, which only takes a picture when your phone is stable enough, so that the image doesn’t get blurred. Apart from that, you can choose between normal shooting mode, and burst shooting. There is also a Macro mode in the app. The app offers some really great editing features as well, and my personal favorite is the “Clarity” filter. Just apply this filter to almost any image, and you will get an image that looks like it has been shot from a professional camera.

6. Cortex Camera

Cortex Camera is an app that can function as both a simple camera app for quick pictures, as well as a manual camera app for some more advanced features. The app is best suited for people who aren’t well-versed with the DSLR way of doing things, and don’t really care about all the different manual settings that apps like 645 Pro Mk III offer.

Once you access the advanced features of the app, you get options to control the shutter priority, ISO priority, and go to manual mode. These modes help you adjust the ISO values, and the shutter speed for the image, making sure you get the perfect shot every time. The app is definitely a must have for people who don’t want too many controls, but are still looking for an app that is much more advanced than the default camera app on the iPhone.

Improve your iPhone Photography with these Camera Apps

While the Apple camera app is decent enough to get the job done, in most cases. At times when you want an advanced camera, you should definitely have one of these apps handy. You can use the manual controls offered by these apps to gain full control of how your picture will turn out, and plan the perfect shot.

As always, if you have any concerns regarding these applications, or if you know of other great iPhone camera apps, do let us know in the comments section below.

Akshay has been a gadget freak since longer than he cares to admit and loves everything to do with technology. When he's not fanboying over the latest and greatest in the tech universe, he watches Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley.